July 19, 2022
Lobbying style won Houghton results
Former minister Shane Jones says the late Ricky Houghton will be remembered for his positive approach to life and his perseverance.
Mr Houghton died yesterday aged 62.
Through his He Korowai Trust in Kaitaia, he took on the challenge of addressing the social needs he saw around him, including finding and building homes for whanau who had no prospect of home ownership through conventional means.
He was a master at wearing down the bureaucracy, which he demonstrated on a visit to Parliament.
“I ensconced him in the parliamentary mess room and he sat there bugging bureaucrats or more politicians as they went by and then I rang an official and said ‘he’s shovel-ready, go and find him some dough and put him through the application process’ – fortunately he had made an application – and that transpired to the thick end of $1 million and that is how he was able to meet the costs of the infrastructure for the expansion of houses for our whanau there in Kaitaia so that’s evidence of his perseverance, his tenacity and how few people would use such an unconventional approach,” Ms Jones says.
Ricky Houghton is lying at Te Piringatahi O Te Maungarongo Marae in Massey, and he will be taken tomorrow to Te Paatu Marae in Pamapuria.